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Awaken your senses with a pre-dinner ritual that has enraptured Italians for centuries. Here are five mouth-watering drinks to enjoy this summerWhat word conjures up Italian summer evenings better than aperitivo? What started as a pre-dinner drink to “open the appetite” (aprire in Italian means “to open”) has become one of the most important social rituals in Italy. From about 7pm to 9pm, as offices begin to empty, Italian bars fill up with people still in their trendy work attire, elegant pant suits for the ladies, clean lines accessorised with smart loafers for the gents – a stark contrast to Britain’s uber relaxed pub attire.The modern motives for aperitivo are many: celebrating birthdays or promotions with loved ones or colleagues, to see and be seen in a glamorous setting, but mostly just meeting up with your pals for an after-work catchup over a negroni or two. Whoever it’s with, the social aspect of aperitivo is vital. Oh, and food. Most bars in Italy will serve abundant free food (can you imagine that in Britain?), which has given rise to the Italian concept of apericena (a combination of the words aperitivo and cena, the Italian word for dinner), where you fill up on lots of snacks and skip dinner altogether. Continue reading...